Gimhae City Council Unanimously Adopts Resolution Condemning Fukushima Nuclear Plant Contaminated Water Discharge Decision

Gimhae City Council in Gyeongnam unanimously adopted a resolution condemning Japan's decision to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
[Image source=Gimhae City]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] The Gimhae City Council in Gyeongnam condemned the Japanese government's decision to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant and urged its immediate withdrawal.

At the first plenary session of the 236th extraordinary meeting held on the 27th, the city council unanimously adopted the "Resolution Condemning and Urging the Withdrawal of the Japanese Government's Decision to Discharge Contaminated Water from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant."

Through the resolution, the city council stated, "The decision to discharge contaminated water into the sea was made without sufficient domestic and international consultation and understanding, angering people worldwide," and strongly criticized, "Our government, the National Assembly, local councils, and various sectors have expressed opposition through statements by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the resolution of the WHO Western Pacific Regional Assembly, and press releases, but Japan is ignoring them."

It continued, "Despite the fact that this issue greatly affects the safety of neighboring countries and the marine environment, Japan has failed to even gather public consensus domestically. International environmental organizations, including Greenpeace, have also expressed opposition due to human rights violations of residents in the Asia-Pacific region and violations of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, but Japan has not properly engaged in discussions," it criticized.

Finally, it urged, "Considering that the discharge decision will directly impact the safety of food for consumers in Gyeongnam and Busan along the southern coast and cause a contraction of the seafood market, the discharge decision must be immediately withdrawn," and called on Japan to "preserve the marine ecosystem and, as a member of the international community, transparently manage the contaminated water and agree on a reasonable treatment plan with the international community."

The city council also urged the government to implement multifaceted measures to protect the lives and environmental rights of citizens, such as expanding quarantine management and bans on imports of Japanese seafood and strengthening inspections for radioactive contamination, and emphasized strengthening joint responses through cooperation with the international community.

The resolution adopted on this day is scheduled to be delivered to the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, and the Chairman of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.